Like any industry transition, software-defined storage will take several years to be fully realized. But even at this early stage, the “genetic code” behind this new approach to storage is becoming better understood. While we will certainly see variations on a core theme, the essence behind software-defined storage serves to differentiate it from other forms. As software-defined storage grows and matures, this blueprint has the ability to change how we think about storage: both as a standalone discipline and as part of an integrated software-defined data center.